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F YOU HAVE EVER given nursing care to a young, hospitalized child, no doubt you have wondered, "What can I do that will help him withstand all that is happening to him?" Many times we are giving more emotional support than we realize. Yet, at other times, because we underestimate what is happening, we omit an important element of emotional support. Some theories and principles concerning the development of the child's personality have certain implications for the nurse's role in giving emotional support. By identifying some of the implications of this knowledge we can relate them in tangible ways to the effective emotional support the nurse gives the young hospitalized child.